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The political ecology of dietary transitions: Changing production and consumption patterns in the Kolli Hills, India

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Abstract

Using a case study from the Kolli Hills, India, I suggest that political ecology provides a useful theoretical basis for considering localized dietary transitions in rural, agricultural communities in developing countries. By examining the reasons for the near-disappearance of local minor millets as staple foods in three small-farmer communities, I argue that an explicit, actor-oriented analysis allows for an integration of food issues with considerations of environmental circumstances, local aspirations, and labor concerns. That is, an agricultural shift that abandons minor millets as a food resource reflects environmental changes and household economic aspirations. Such an analysis has implications for the creation of practical food security projects through the recognition and incorporation of small-farmer experiences, voices, and priorities. This research was undertaken through ethnographic fieldwork, using semi-structured interviews and participant observation as the primary methods.

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Acknowledgments

I would like to thank Dr. Tina Moffat, the anonymous reviewers and the editor for their thoughtful comments on early drafts of this paper. I am most indebted to Dr. T. Vasantha Kumaran, Sister Francina, Ms. N. Annammadevi, Ms. A. Chitra, Ms. Vimala Matthew, and Ms. Gracie Sevariammal for their invaluable assistance and support during the research process. This research received funding support from the Canadian Anthropology Society, the International Development Research Centre (Canada), McMaster University School of Graduate Studies, the Social Science and Humanities Research Council (Canada), and the Wenner-Gren Foundation.

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  1. Department of Anthropology, McGill University Room 717, Leacock Building, 855 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H3A 2T7

    Elizabeth Finnis

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Correspondence to Elizabeth Finnis.

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Elizabeth Finnis obtained her PhD from McMaster University in Canada and is currently a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Anthropology and the Centre for Society, Technology, and Development at McGill University.

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Finnis, E. The political ecology of dietary transitions: Changing production and consumption patterns in the Kolli Hills, India. Agric Hum Values 24, 343–353 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-007-9070-4

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